Gaza Faces Blackout as Last Power Plant Grinds to a Halt

For the last several months, the Gaza Strip has been in a growing electricity crisis, which has left the enclave’s estimated 2 million people, already accustomed to regular blackouts, getting only 3-4 hours a day of electricity. Even that’s going to seem like a fond memory now, as the whole strip is basically without electricity now for the foreseeable future.

The crisis started in April, when the Palestinian Authority imposed a large tax on diesel fuel for the plant, which slowed the plant down to just one turbine, since the price of fuel basically doubled. That was exacerbated by the fighting in Sinai cutting off power lines from Egypt into Gaza, preventing imports there. Pressure from the Palestinian Authority has also obliged the Israeli power company to greatly reduce power imported to Gaza.

At this point Israel’s minor imports aren’t enough to keep the power running at all, really, and human rights groups had already been warning a humanitarian crisis is growing, That crisis now seems set to explode, likely risking soaring unrest.

Right, I can see how that sounded like I didn’t know that. My point was that the PA isn’t even trying to make friends in Gaza anymore, cementing the lack of unity that they might have used to end Israel’s blockade. If there ever are more elections in Gaza, no one will support the PA.

I guess it doesn’t matter to you that they had a “democratic” election and Hamas WON and Israel and the US continue to try to deal with the FAKE Palestine Authority. I’m sorry; but, I don’t understand people like you.

While Abbas asked the Israelis to do this to Gaza, the Israelis chose to do it. They can’t point to the request as leaving them helpless. They are anything but bound by requests from Abbas on any subject.

Hamas is the enemy of the Palestinian people – it has brought nothing but bloodshed and retribution. Ismail Haniyeh is a terrible choice, even now he calls for infatada in Jerusalem. ““We will remain faithful to the principles of the Palestinian people, and at the forefront is the liberation of the land, of Jerusalem, of the al-Aqsa Mosque, the prisoners, the realization of the Palestinian right of return, and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.” – good luck with that, moron.

Mean while you starve and go without electricity Unless you become a suicide bomber ? than we can pay your family and you get your 72 virgins in paradise . How can anyone defeat that kind of thinking ?

Tangents look to be the problem Drug addicts and alcoholic buy drugs and alcohol rather than save the money and pay for electricity . Terrorists don’t want to pay for electricity either . Hamas is who they voted for and Hamas doesn’t want electricity as much as what tangents they spend their money .on .

Gaza wanted to run their own country ? Why don’t they put first things first and run their own country . Buy fuel and generate electricity instead of building tunnels and making poor missiles and paying terrorsts

Well, you left out the part where Israel has a blockade to keep Hamas from getting anything it doesn’t want Hamas to have. And the part where it is Israel that collects the taxes for Gaza and either does or doesn’t hand those taxes off to Hamas to do or not do the things that it does or does not allow Hamas to do.

Hamas runs Gaza exactly, and only, to the extent that Israel allows it to run Gaza. Ultimately, Israel is the decisionmaker ruling Gaza and is therefore responsible for the decisions it makes. Right now that decision is to collect the MONEY to provide power to Gaza, but to not actually provide that power.